Cast-iron Skillet Cookie

An invisible internet friend shared this recipe on Facebook.  I am cutting and pasting here so I can try it tomorrow.  I may or may not share it with my family.

1cup (2 sticks) butter softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup flour
2 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350
Cream butter and sugars together
Add peanut butter and eggs mix well. 
Add flour, salt, baking soda.
Fold in oats and choc chips. 
Lightly grease a medium-sized cast iron skillet and fill with cookie dough smoothing it out without packing it too much. 
Bake until edges are golden brown and center is still moist.
For drizzle: 
Mix 2 tablespoons chocolate chips with 2 tsp coconut oil and microwave just until melted. Stir and drizzle on top of cookie. Let cool slightly and serve!

Menu Plan: Sept 15-19

Monday-- Slow/Fast Pot Roast (save some meat for Thursday)

Tuesday--Saucy Italian-Style Pork Chops

Wednesday--Meatloaf and mashed cauli-taters

Thursday-- Fast  Philly Cheesesteak-style stuffed peppers

Friday--Honey Garlic Chicken drumsticks

Saturday--Stuffed French Bread (by request)

Menu Plan

Back to School is in full swing, and extra curricular activities start up this week.  Hellooooo Crock Pot!

Monday Slow(fast)  Chunky Chicken Soup

Tuesday  Family-Size Nachos

Wednesday  Slow cooker Sticky Chicken Drumsticks

Thursday (fast) Sesame-Ginger Pork with Vegetables

Friday Sloppy Joes and roasted potatoes

Saturday  Ham with Layered Potato Duo Bake

Sunday Leftover Buffer

Menu Plan Monday

It's Back to School and Birthday Week!

Monday (fast)  Winter Vegetable Pie

Tuesday  Take out Style Orange Chicken and rice (make extra rice for Friday)

Wednesday  (Birthday Boy's Choice) Tacos and Birthday Cake

Thursday (fast) Stuffed buffalo chicken breasts with steamed vegetables (or salad)

Friday Mexican unstuffed Pepper Casserole

Saturday  Chicken drumsticks and roasted potatoes

Sunday  Leftover Buffet

Menu Plan Monday

Monday (fast) Spaghetti and meatball soup

Tuesday:  Broccoli and Tuna baked potatoes

Wednesday  Hamburgers with vegetables and dip

Thursday (fast)  Cauliflower fried "rice" with chicken

Friday  Lasagna

Saturday  Pizza

Sunday Leftovers

Menu Plan Time again!

Here's what's on the table at our house this week:

Monday (fast):  Slow cooked Minestrone soup and flat bread

Tuesday: Weenie roast at camp pick up.

Wednesday: Spareribs* and Rosemary potato wedges

Thursday (fast): Mexican Bean Burgers on Flat Out wraps

Friday: Cranberry Pork Chops and steamed vegetables

Saturday: One pan Roasted Chicken Drumsticks and Potatoes

Sunday: Stuffed French Bread and Salad 

* Here's how I cook spareribs:  I season my racks of ribs with seasoned salt and pepper, place in a crockpot with no liquid and cook for 4 hours on high, or 6 hours on low--the meat will be succulent, juicy and falling off the bone.  Just before the cooking time is up, preheat your broiler and line a sheet pan with foil.  Once the ribs are cooked, carefully transfer those ribs to the sheet pan (they will be falling apart!) and baste generously with your favourite barbeque sauce.  Broil until bubbly and browned.  Serve with extra sauce for dipping and lots of napkins.

Menu Plan Monday

It's Monday!  I am working at my new job now (at a yarn and scrapbooking store!  Fun!) so I am behind on the shopping.  Here is what we are eating this week.  We are still doing 5:2 and I am feeling great.  My body is really responding well to the low-cal days.  The kids are home so I am back to cooking every day.

Monday:  (fast)  Hamburgers and raw vegetables.  No cheese and low cal wraps instead of buns for the grown ups.

Tuesday:  Pizza

Wednesday:  Layered Slow Cook Steak, Potato, Corn on the Cob

Thursday:  (fast) Garlic Parm Salmon Packets

Friday: Szechuan Chicken with Peanuts on rice? noodles? TBA(Weight Watchers Take Out Tonight Cook Book)

Saturday:  Wet Bean Burritos

Menu Plan Monday: Offspring Break Week 2

The kids are still gone.  Our routine is out the window.  I mainly need to plan our fasting days as those are the days I really have to pay attention to what we are eating.  Since the kids are gone I can kick the spices up a notch and eat crazy things like mushrooms!

Monday: (Fast)  Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Breasts

Tuesday: Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Gravy (and probably mashed potatoes, because what else could you possibly serve??)

Wednesday:  Baked Brown Sugar Chicken Wings with Roasted Red Pepper dip

Thursday: (Fast) Chili Stuffed Peppers

Friday:  ???

Menu Plan: Offspring Break Edition

The kids are gone for two weeks.  That means my menu plan is going to feature foods my kids don't like.  It also means I don't have to plan every single day and will leave room for snacking on leftovers.

Tuesday: Crispy baked Hoisin Chicken

Wednesday:  Kitchen Closed

Thursday:  (fast) Turkey Bruschetta Burger

Friday:  Mac and Cheese Muffins with Meatloaf

Sat/Sun:  Leftovers?  Beef pie from last week?

Menu Plan

This week a bit of my menu plan is coming from the Pocket Change Gourmet.  Her recipes are simple, family friendly and my kids will eat them (mostly).  I am adding in my fast days, as usual.  The plan is really working for me and since I've started (again) I've lost an inch from my waist!

Sunday:  Perogies and Sausages

Monday: (fast)  Sweet Potato and Kale Hash for the grown ups, Eggs in a nest for the kids.

Tuesday:  Chicken Kabobs and rice

Wednesday:  Pulled Pork Sandwiches with coleslaw and baked beans

Thursday: (fast) Coconut Chicken Salad , roasted potatoes for R and the kids

Friday: Baked potato bar (with leftover pulled pork)

Saturday: Beef and cheese pie

Sunday:

Pancakes

Oh Hungry Girl.  I used to be such fan when I was doing hardcore calorie counting.  When you are on a calorie-reduced diet every little bit helps and HG has great short cuts to decrease fat and calories in our favourite foods.  Unfortunately a lot of her methods require you to purchase a lot of artificially sweetened, low-fat processed foods.  I am a fan of eating whole, real foods.  I still follow her blog and use her recipes (especially her salads--her salads are amazing) but I un-Hungry them and switch out the fake food for real food.  That means an increase in calories and fat, but I feel so much better eating real food again.  The 5:2 plan is so freeing that way.

Here is my version of one of her basic pancake recipes.

Oatmeal Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Serves 1

Ingredients 
1/3 cup oats
2 tablespoons dry pancake mix (or just use flour and a pinch of baking powder)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon 2% MF cottage cheese
splash vanilla extract
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Mix all ingredients together, adding 3 tablespoons of water.  Add chopped fruit or a mashed banana, if desired.  Spray a non-stick pan or electric griddle with non-stick spray.  Preheat to medium.  Scoop out about 1/4 cup measures of batter onto griddle and cook until they start to look solid.  Gently flip.  Cook until the insides are set and the pancakes are nicely browned.

Eat!

**Hints:  these are not traditional pancakes.  Make sure you cook the first side long enough or the whole thing will fall apart when you flip it.  It will take a bit longer than you think. Also, there is no oil or melted butter in this recipe so you do need to grease your non-stick griddle a bit or you will be sorry.**

According to My Fitness Pal, here is the nutrition information:
Per serving: 349 calories, 45 gm carbs, 8 gm fat, 19 gm protein, 10 gm sugar

Menu Plan Monday

Hey! I'm back!  Here's what we're eating this week!  I seem to be on a greens kick.

Monday: (fast)  Marinated Pork with sauteed mushrooms and  greens (carried over from last week)

Tuesday:  Lemon Pepper Panko  fish fillets with oven fries

Wednesday: Baked Chicken drumsticks, potato salad

Thursday:  (fast) Cheese and Spinach Portobello mushrooms for the grown ups, Spaghetti for the kids

Friday:  Pizza 

Saturday:  Buffet

Sunday:  Hot Dogs with fixings, Pork and Beans  also, make Pizza Buns and granola bars for day camp lunches

Possible lunches:

Best Grilled Cheese

Sweet Potato Tandoori Salad

Menu Plan

Wednesday--tacos

Thursday-- (Fast) crispy quinoa burgers

Friday--Slow cooker meatballs with spaghetti

Saturday--Curry Yogurt Grilled Chicken with lemon roasted potatoes (potatoes in WW Take Out Tonight! Cookbook)

Sunday--Buffet

Monday--(fast) Sesame Ginger Pork with vegetables

Tuesday --Grilled smokies with peppers and onions

Menu Plan

I am starting week 2 of my 5:2 re-do.  So far, so good.  Fasting days are going well and I love the freedom that comes with not counting calories every single day.

Here's what's on the menu this week.

Tuesday:  Pork Chops and potato smashers (carry over from last week)

Wednesday: Creamy Swiss Chicken Bake and steamed cauliflower

Thursday: (fast) Skillet Gnocchi with Greens and White Beans

Friday: Pizza

Saturday:  Pork Ribs and potato salad

Sunday: Buffet

Monday: (fast) Cheeseburger wraps , tossed salad

Menu Plan Monday on a Wednesday

I'm back on the 5:2 wagon this week. That means on fast days I eat a 400 calorie dinner, 100 calorie bedtime snack  and the rest of my day will be coffee, tea and water water water.  The rest of the week I will eat normally and not count calories.

Wednesday: Fast day Spaghetti Squash casserole  for me.  Spaghetti for everyone else

Thursday:  Crockpot Lemon Chicken  mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli

Friday:  French Dip Sandwiches

Saturday: Barbeque with Friends:  Burgers and Smokies, bean salad, Fruit Pizza

Sunday:    Fast day  Cottage Pie

Monday:  Pizza

Tuesday: Potato Smashers and salad

Menu Plan--Crazy Plates Week

My go-to cookbooks are Crazy Plates and Eat, Shrink and Be Merry.  I used Crazy Plates so much it fell apart, so I put the loose pages in page protectors and put them in a three-ring binder.  One of my friends knew my love of these books and found a brand-new copy at the second hand store last week so she gave it to me.  I have awesome friends.

So, this week's menu is from those two books.

The Ladle in Red --basic chili (ESM, 133)

For Pizza Sake! and salad --pizza dip (ESM 34)

Happily Ever After Apple Pork Chops and steamed vegetables (CP 123)

Chicks on Sticks and veg stir-fry (Asian marinated grilled chicken)  (CP 103)

Piled-High Veggie Potpie (CP 76)

carried over from last week: Timbucktuna (ESM 111)

Menu Plan

In no particular order, here is the menu plan for this week.

Farmer Sausage with saurkraut and mashed potatoes.

Buffalo Chicken Salad 

Pizzadillas

Timbucktuna from the Eat Shrink and Be Merry Cookbook

Fiesta Pork Chop and Rice Bake

Turkey Club Super Mashers from Rachel Ray: 365 No Repeats cookbook

Breakfast tacos

This is less of a recipe and more of a framework.  Quantities of toppings will vary based on how many tacos your family will eat at at a time and how full you stuff them.  Use this method for making the taco shells and then go wild filling them! There is no need to get dressed and leave your house for this greasy spoon breakfast.

Fast Food-Style Breakfast tacos

Preheat your oven to 450 F

Take one package of thawed toaster waffles and flatten each one with a rolling pin.  
Carefully drape flattened waffles over your oven racks to shape them into taco shells.  
Bake for around 5 minutes until browned and toasted.


Prepare your filling:  scrambled eggs are a great start.  Add some crumbled breakfast sausage, bacon, shredded cheese.....use your imagination!  I'll bet anything you can stuff into a crepe would taste good in a waffle taco.  Banana and nutella?  Fresh fruit and ricotta cheese? 


Serve with syrup (or ketchup if you are my 10 year old).

Menu Plan Sunday

In no particular order.

Slow Cooker Chinese pulled pork with fried rice or vegetable chop suey

Baked Burritos with Cowboy Caviar

Roasted Chicken drumsticks with potatoes and carrots

Shake and Bake Pork Chops with steamed vegetables

Bacon Corn Cakes from Fresh 20, March 21

Tomato Soup with meatballs

Kathy's Gluten-Free Breadsticks

Without going into too much detail as to why, a week ago, I decided to eliminate wheat/gluten from my diet.  I don't talk about it much as I don't want to become "that person" who only talks about their diet.   Anyhoo, I outed myself on Facebook yesterday and then this recipe showed up in my inbox.  My friend Kathy's boy has celiac disease.  She is being very supportive of my new changes.  This is her bread stick recipe.

The bread sticks are as follows 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese not the powder 1 cup grated cheddar packed 2 tbsp plain yogurt 1 egg 1/4 cup arrowroot flour or 1/4 cup Robin Hood gf flour Pinch of cayenne 1/4 tsp baking powder. Mix together until well blended, press into a baking dish ( I prefer to double this and use a cookie sheet) use parchment paper. Bake 25 minutes in 350 oven. Sometimes I flip mine over and give it another 10. Makes it more like bread. It is good dipped in marinara sauce. Also rosemary and garlic sprinkled on top before baking is good.